Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
I woke up with a start to a strange tapping at my cabin room's door. Groggily, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and squinted out the port window. I had no clue how much time had passed, but it was definitely still dark outside.
Tap tap tap tap tap.
I groaned and placed my pillow over my face, not enough to suffocate myself, but boy was it tempting. Who the hell was tapping at my door like that in the middle of the night? Maybe if I just ignored them, they'd go away. There were plenty of other demigods on this damn ship, so why'd they have to bother the sleeping chick?
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap.
"Alright!" I grumbled in frustration and threw the covers off of my body.
A flurry of curses flew from my mouth as I fumbled for a pair of biker shorts, stumbling in the darkness, still disoriented from being awoken so suddenly. This had better be an emergency. I swung open my room door furiously, but the hallway appeared empty. Oh real fucking funny guys—
Tap tap tap.
Confused, I looked down to see Buford the end table. He was tapping the floorboards instead of the door now to get my attention, and when my eyes fell upon him, he exhaled a puff of steam.
"Buford?" My brows furrowed. "Dude, what the hell—"
Before I could finish my thought, Buford sprouted his little helicopter blades and flew to my eye level before heading to the engine room door. He tapped incessantly at the door and whirred energetically.
I frowned. "What? You wanna go in there?"
Buford whirred and clicked excitedly, and it almost sounded like "follow me, follow me" but he was harder for me to understand than Festus. I wondered if that could be because Buford was less advanced or complicated than Festus, but my sleep deprived brain didn't ponder this for very long. I sighed heavily and dragged my hands down my face as the end table rammed himself repeatedly into the engine room door. It seemed there was no getting out of this one.
"Fine," I groaned, hoping I wouldn't regret this decision, "if it'll get me back in my bed sooner, then I'll go with you."
Buford seemed pleased with my response, and I opened the door to the engine room. He flew inside immediately, and I quickly lost sight of him after clambering over the Athena Parthenos at the entrance. Although to be fair, I was pretty preoccupied with taking in my surroundings. I'd been in the engine room loads of times, but I'd never seen it look like this. I pinched myself, half-convinced that I was still dreaming.
The workspace was clear of its typical mess of tables and weaponry, replaced instead with a red velvet blanket spread out on the wooden floorboards. There was a pair of golden platters and goblets neatly placed atop the blanket, and plenty of plush pillows nearby. Dozens of tea candles had been carefully arranged around the perimeter, casting the room in a warm orange glow. Red rose petals littered the ground, making me cautious to take another step and ruin the picturesque view. My eyes registered movement in the corner of my vision just as a figure appeared from the shadows.
My heart rate quickened, and I was definitely awake now. It was Leo, sporting an uncharacteristically shy smile. His usually messy curls had been combed back, and I couldn't help but remember his bad boy supreme look from when we dealt with Narcissus and his nymph fan girls. Leo's clean white button down fit snugly around his biceps and was tucked neatly into his black dress pants. Since when did he own dress pants? A pair of suspenders completed the ensemble, and I had to admit... the look worked for him. In his hand was a single lavender rose.
It seemed like forever before either of us spoke. A myriad of things were running through my mind, and my eyes darted around the room like I was truly unable to fathom what was happening. Leo fiddled with the flower in his hands anxiously, but he didn't seem to want to break the silent spell we were under.
"What," my voice was soft, "what is all this?"
Leo facepalmed, anxiety apparent in his tone. "Are the rose petals too much? I thought it would be too much, but Festus insisted—"
"N-no, no," The thought of him consulting a dragon head for romantic advice would've been laughable in any other situation. "I'm just... caught off guard is all."
Leo exhaled deeply in relief, extending the rose to me. "I've been neglecting you, and I'm really sorry about that. I wanted to take the time to show you just how much you mean to me."
I flushed but accepted the lavender rose from his hands and inhaled its scent. Its fragrance was sweet and helped calm my nervous heart beat. Being this close, I could also smell Leo's fresh and masculine cologne tickling my nose. His eyes were full of sincerity and passion.
"This is probably the nicest, sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," I said finally. "As usual, Festus was right."
Leo grinned so brightly it could've illuminated the entire room. "I'll have to thank him later."
We chuckled lightly, but the air was thick and heavy with a familiar tension. I suddenly became incredibly conscious of my messy bed hair and thin tee. I wasn't prepared for this— gods, I'm not even wearing a bra! The cool air in the engine room would soon make that very apparent, too. I had to think fast.
I cleared my throat and turned away from Leo, gesturing to the golden platters laid out on the blanket. "Should we sit?"
"Oh, right, yea," Leo seemed to have forgotten about the picnic he'd set up. He sat down before gingerly patting the blanket beside him. "Come on, cutie."
My cheeks warmed at the pet name, and I sat down, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"You look so pretty in the candlelight," he said softly, making the blush on my cheeks darken. "What do you want to eat?"
"Umm... daifuku," I said after some consideration and watched as mochi filled with ice cream magically appeared on one of the golden platters. I couldn't help but laugh at the puzzled expression on Leo's face. "Try it!"
He looked skeptical, but took a bite of one of the soft, green colored balls. His eyes widened and twinkled with delight. "Whoa, there's ice cream in here! Green tea flavored?"
I smiled proudly at his reaction. "Yea, the red bean paste ones are my favorite. Gram made the best dango in the summertime, too."
At my request, the other plate summoned skewered ice cream filled mochi balls. I grabbed a skewer and took a bite, the taste bringing back bittersweet memories of fireflies and summertime joy.
"That's one of the things I love about you," Leo said between bites. "I always learn something new or try new delicious food!"
My heart pounded in my ears. He used the word love. I had to will myself to calm down because my hands were shaking, making the dango wiggle like a caterpillar in my grip. It was embarrassing how nervous I became when we were alone together. I've already kissed him— a couple times actually— but my palms still grew sweaty when we were close.
"Peri?" Leo's hand (gods, it was so warm, he was always so damn warm) touched my thigh. "Are you okay? You're shaking."
I nodded, sparing a glance at his eyes, full of concern. "Yeah, I'm just... nervous."
He cracked that mischievous smile of his. "Nervous? The girl who slays monsters without batting an eye is nervous for a midnight date?"
"D-date?"
He gestured around us like it was obvious before grinning wolfishly. "Gods, maybe what they say about blondes is true after all."
I swatted his arm which only made him laugh as my face burned in embarrassment. "This is all new to me okay?"
He nodded. "Me too." He interlaced his fingers with mine. "Let's figure it out together."
"O-okay," I murmured before taking a big bite of dango to avoid his heated gaze.
"Oh, you got a little... I'll get it." He leaned forward and licked ice cream from the corner of my lips before chuckling at my shocked expression. "I'm happy to be the only one that gets to see this side of you. The powerful Omega-Blood... turned into putty all because of a little lick."
I shivered at his words.
"Too bad these things won't summon wine," Leo lamented into a golden goblet while my brain was busy short circuiting. "Believe me, I've tried."
Meanwhile, I was feeling tipsy just from the feel of his tongue on my face and lips. I wanted more. With a sudden burst of courage, I leaned in and kissed him passionately. He tasted of green tea and all the happiness left in this messed up world. He made a small sound of surprise before quickly recovering and kissing me back. The feeling of his lips on mine was something that I'd never grow tired of. His body heat radiated off of him in waves, and I was determined to ride him like a surfboard— it! I meant it! Ride the waves—
One of his hands went to the back of my head, pulling me impossibly closer and clearing my mind once more. The kiss intensified to a full blown make out when Leo slipped his tongue in my mouth, eagerly exploring the new territory. His slippery wet appendage danced with my own as his free hand rubbed against the small of my lower back. I pulled away to take a breath, but Leo didn't seem to tolerate the separation for very long. With a growl, he pulled me back so forcefully that I crashed into him, sending us toppling over. There was a cacophony of clattering plates and goblets as we rolled around, grasping desperately at one another like animals in heat. When we finally stopped tumbling in a mess of limbs, Leo had me pinned to the floor, his lips peppering sweet kisses along my neck. His lean, muscled body felt heavenly pressed on top of mine. I gasped and whined at the feel of him sucking and biting along my collarbone. My fingers grasped at his curls, and I cried out when he bit down particularly hard on a certain spot. His tongue flicked over the sensitive flesh where I was certain a bruise was already forming. He grinned down at me, clearly pleased with himself.
"You don't even know how long I've wanted to do that," he whispered.
Maybe it was the current lack of blood flow to my brain, but I couldn't be bothered with the consequences of being caught with a hickey in the morning. Maybe it was the candles or the heat emanating from the fire user himself, but I felt hot and lightheaded in the best way, and I wanted to chase that feeling.
I licked my kiss swollen lips. "What else have you wanted to do?"
Leo's eyes widened at my boldness, and he searched my face for any sign of jest. When he realized that I wasn't joking, his elvish ears reddened to my great satisfaction.
"Do you remember that time when we were in the engine room?" He asked me quietly. "When I..." He trailed off and instead brought his hands to hover just above my chest.
How could I forget? The memory often came back to me when I laid in bed at night. It ignited something inside me to know that he'd replayed that moment in his head, too. I placed my hands atop his and brought them to my chest. The warmth of his hands was evident even through my shirt, and I sighed in content when his thumb brushed against an already hardened nipple.
Leo smirked. "Someone cold?" When I rolled my eyes, he tugged at my nipple roughly, causing an embarrassing whimper to escape my lips. "Don't worry, I'll warm you up."
Leo's warm hands slipped underneath my shirt and touched my breasts directly. He groaned softly at the skin contact, kneading my chest with his large, calloused hands. My eyes fluttered closed as he explored my chest, pulling, flicking, and teasing my nipples to his heart's content. I'd never been touched like this, and I definitely never knew it could feel so good. My head fell back in bliss, and Leo took that opportunity to place his lips on my neck once more.
"Even if you heal by morning, I still want to mark you up," he murmured by my ear.
"Right, I forgot about that," I hummed with a bit of disappointment in my voice. "All these hickeys should go away by tomorrow, huh?"
Leo's lips curled into a smile against my neck. "You sound so sad about it... You want everyone to see what I've done to you in the dark, don't you?"
I stuttered out a rebuttal, but Leo's chuckling against my neck drowned out my protests. There was no more denying our magnetic attraction to one another, especially with the physical evidence so apparent on my body. Still, it felt weird to ask him the question that was weighing so heavily on my brain at the moment. Were we... together together? Boyfriend and girlfriend? The thought filled me with anxiety, and not the good fun kind I felt when we made out. For now, I'd just play it as cool as I could and take things a day at a time.
Leo and I ended up falling asleep in the engine room, his warm hands underneath my shirt, holding me close to his chest. Our bodies seemed to fit like puzzle pieces, and I slept sounder than I had in a long time in his embrace.